FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (CBS Tampa) — Authorities say a man was caught on tape stealing a $6,500 Rolex from a screening bin at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

Passenger Gloria de Regalado was making her way through security late last month when two cherished items went missing – a $6,500 Rolex watch given to her as a gift from her husband, and a religious bracelet of priceless sentimental value.

“It’s a simple piece that I wear every day and it gives me comfort,” she told the Orlando Sentinel of the latter item.

She had removed the two belongings and placed them on top of her coat when asked by security to place all metals in the bins used for scanning items. From there, the items allegedly fell into the next bin, where they were allegedly taken by the suspect.

Before he got away, de Regalado said she made eye contact with him.

“He had an opportunity to do right by himself, he knew who I was and he could have redeemed himself, but he didn’t,” she told the Sentinel. “I think karma is what it is. He’s just not a good person.”

An official release from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office states that authorities believe the suspect is a resident of South Florida.

“[D]eputies had no way of knowing which plane the man boarded, but looked for the suspect in a flight that had taxied out and notified Dallas authorities of the theft since a flight had recently departed to that city,” the release stated. “It was a valiant effort, but the suspect was not on either of those flights.”

The website for Transportation Security Administration recommends placing personal belongings inside of your carry-on bag before entering the checkpoint, to minimize the potential of losing anything.